Surface conditioner



P 1944- A. G. SMITH 2,357,291

SURFACE CONDITIONER Filed May 5, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 3

INVENTOR BY 41a THUR a. 5mm

'ATTdRNEW P 1944- A. G. SMITH 2,357,291

SURFACE CONDITIONER Filed May 5, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BY HR 7727/1? 6.3/11711 ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 5, 1944 2,357,291 SURFACE CONDITIONER Arthur G. Smith, Elyrla, Ohio Application May 5, 1939, Serial No. 271,904

16 Claims.

This invention relates to surface conditioning devices and more particularly to a portable surface finishing machine that is motor driven and that is conveniently applied to a widevariety of types of work.

' In the building trades considerable difficulty has always been experienced in reconditioning surfaces to. which a new finish was to be applied, partioularly where the work was immovable and frequently in diflicultly accessible places, such as the sides of buildings,- houses and the like; bridge girders and members; as well as more accessible articles, such as in interiors, the baseboards, Jams and moulding, the stair posts,

hamsters and rails, articles of furniture and of old paint that has become of flint-like hardness and that has curled up and chipped in some spots and in other spots has become attached to a surface of wood, brick or metal with a very strong bond that makes the paint particularly difficult to remove or level off. With brick and metal a sand blast may be used advantageously. With wood the sand blast causes the excessive pitting of the soft fibers with a resultant ribbed effect. The necessary equipment is also limited by its very considerable expense. A blow torch may also be used but the process is slow since the flame that is applied covers but a few square inches of surface at any one time and is commonly followed by a hand operated scraper or brush. The removal of old paint from wood has always been difficult, laborious and objectionably expensive and time consuming. The present invention is directed toward the object of providing workmen with practical and reasonably priced tools that may be conveniently and effectively handled and applied to the work and that are equipped with readily replaceable parts.

Another object is to provide workmen with motor driven paint removing tools that materially reduce his fatigue and that permit him to apply his full attention to his task and, as a result, greatly increase his work output with considerable less exertion.

With the above and other objects in view that will be apparent to those who are familiar with the building industry and its problems from the following disclosure, suitable illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown in the accom-' panying drawings, wherein:

Fig- 1 is an elevation, partly broken away and in section, of the device with the motor shaft inclined with respect to the brush shaft that carries a removable brush head having bristles extending axially of the brush shaft and provided with means for withdrawing and disposing of the dust that accompanies the application of the brush;

Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly broken away and in section, of the device with the motor shaft and brush shaft inclined with respect to each other and a removable brush head having bristles projecting radially thereof and with means enclosed within the motor housing and projecting therefrom for withdrawing and disposing of dust;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the motor housing and the broken away brush shaft housing, and wherein the pipe torsionhandles, that are disposed substantially normal to the satchel handles, terminate in strap attaching means;

Fig. 3A is a fragmentary elevation of the device without the dust removing means and with a supporting shoulder strap connecting the ends of the torque handles;

Fig. 4 is an'elevation, partly broken away and in section, of the device comprising a motor and a cylindrical brush with their shafts in angular relation with each other and with a protective shield positioned about the brush; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation of a flexible cable power transmitting meansinterposed between the motor and the brush.

The machine that forms the subject matter 0f the present invention comprises an abrasion means that is driven by a motor that can be conveniently connected to a conventional power socket. For many working positions it is preferred that the shaft on which the abrading means is mounted is disposed in angular relation with the shaft that drives it.

In the form of the device that is shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, the motor in themotor housing I drives the motor shaft 2 and the bevel gear 3. They motor gear 3 engages the bevel gear 4 and drives the brush shaft 5, on the free end of which the brush 6 is preferably removably secured in any desired manner.

The brush shaft 5 is journalled in suitable means, such as in the plate 8 and the spider 9. The spider 9 is apertured for the free passage of air into the interior of the vacuum housing Ill. The fan II, that is mounted on and caused to revolve by the brush shaft 5, draws air thru ing means.

the spider 8 and into the interior of the housins ll.

Suitable means, such as the dust conducting tube l2, that is secured to the nipple ll of the housing II by the band l4 or the like, carries the dust bearing air stream away from the bristles ll of the brush head 4. Suitable securing means, such as the screws IO, secure the plate 8 and the spider 8 in the housing II. The housing I U is also preferably removably secured to the motor housing I by the screws H or the like.

Suitable hand grip means is provided, such as the satchel handles [2 that are secured to the motor housing in any suitable manner as by the screws I 9, and the torque pipes 20 that removably thread into the motor housing I or that are otherwise secured thereon. The power line 2| serves to supply the motor in the housing I with power and the motor may, if desired, be equipped with a suitable speed regulating device, such as the switch 22.

In the form of the device that is shown in Fig.

2, the bristles 25 project radially from the brush head 26 which is secured to the brush shaft 21 by the nut 28. The housing 29 is secured by a the screws 30 to the motor housing 3| in which the motor 32 is disposed and contains suitable bevel gears and a suction maintaining fan, as in Fig. 1, for operating the abrading means 2'. Suitable means, such as the pipe ll, is provided for conducting the dust laden air stream from the housing 29 and out of the device, preferably by-passing the motor inwardly of the motor housing 3! in any desired manner. The power line 34 supplies energy to the motor 32. The satchel handles 35 and the torque pipes 36 provide means for manipulating the machine.

The motor housing 4' in Fig. 3, that is secured to the housing 4! by the screws 42, illustrates either of the above devices with or without the vacuum mechanism and with the torque handles viewed from the side and provided at their free ends with a suitable strap attaching means. The torque handles 44 are substantially like the previously described torque handles 2. and 38. The satchel handles 43 are similar in construction and function with those previously described and numbered l8 and 35. The torque handles 44 are preferably provided at their free ends with suitable connections for a desired machine suspend- In the construction shown, the torque handles 44 are threaded at their free ends for the removable reception of the carrying eyes 45 in which the ends of suitable suspending means, such as the illustrative shoulder strap 40, that is shown in Fig. 3A, or the like, may be disposed. The strap is used where the worker prefers that the weight of the machine is carried by his shoulders and his hands are left free for the manipulating of the machine. With the ma chine suspended from the shoulders of the operator, one hand may grasp either satchel handie for the control of thrust and lifting movements, and the other hand may grasp either torque handle at a desired distance from the motor housing for adequate control over the torque and the lateral movements of the machine in operation or in use when the wire bristled brush 41 is applied to the work. The handles are mounted in pairs to accommodate both hands and may be grasped in pairs if desired. Another form of the machine in which the motor shaft is disposed in angular relation with the shaft of the brush head is shown in Fig. 4.

of the accompanying drawings. In this construction the motor in the motor housing ll drives the motor shaft II that is keyed to the bevel gear l2 by suitable means, such as by the pin 53.

The motor drivengear 52 engages the bevel gear I4, that is secured to the brush shaft II by the pin II. The brush shaft I5 at its end adjacent the bevel gear '54, is Journalled in the plate 51. The plate 51 forms a part of the brush housing 54 that is secured to the motor housing II by the screws 5! or the like. The remote end of the brush shaft 55 is Journalled in the removable plate that is secured to the brush housing by suitable means, such as by the screw The brush is of the cylindrical type with the wire or narrow plate bristles 83 anchored in any desired manner in a suitable embedding material 64. The material 64 is disposed outwardly of the pipe core- 65. The pipe core 65 threads at one end into the washer 68. The material 04 and the pipe core I! are immovably secured to the brush shaft 55 in any desired manner.

A suitable hand grip means, such as the handle 61, is secured to the end of the motor housing 50 by the screws 68. The handle 81 may have an inclined hand grip portion, as shown, to provide a firm grip on the machine with one hand while the cylindrical brush housing 58 provides a comfortable grip for the other hand during the operation and use of the machine.

The side shields 6! of the brush housing 58 assist in protecting the operator from flying particles of removed material during the application of the device.

The pair of engaging bevel gears 52 and 54 may be replaced, if desired, by other power transmitting means, such as the flexible shaft 10 that is interposed between the motor shaft II in the motor housing 12 and the brush shaft 13 in the brush housing I4. The brush housing 14 is secured in any desired manner to the motor housing 12.

The inclined brush shaft form of the device is admirably adapted for a wide variety of work and the structures shown are rugged and well designed pieces of equipment that are adapted to cover rapidly a'large area of work and that may conveniently be applied to surfaces that are frequently difficult of access.

It is to be understood that the several embodiments of the invention that are disclosed and illustrated herein are presented for the purposes of illustration and explanation of the invention and that various changes and modifications in the designing and structures of both their parts and the combined devices may be made without departing from the invention as it is defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A surface conditioning device, comprising in combination, a motor having a shaft, a housing substantially enclosing said motor, satchel handles on opposite lateral sides of said motor housing and extending substantially parallel thereto, a pair of torsion handles mounted on opposite sides of said motor housing and extending substantially normally to the surface thereof for controlling torque movements of said device in its operation and use, strap means connecting the ends of said torsion handles, an abrading means shaft that is inclined with respect to said motor shaft at an obtus angle that permits the advantageous application of said device to a vertical surface, power transmitting means mechanically connecting said motor shaft with said abrading means shaft for conducting power therebetween, an abrading means mounted on said abrading means shaft and having an exposed portion capable of delivering to the. work substantially the full pressure that the operator applies to said device.

2. A surface conditioning device, comprising in combination, a motor, a shaft part of said motor, a motor housing substantially enclosing said motor for minimizing the entrance of abraded material thereinto, an abrading means shaft driven 4 stantially parallel to a part thereof and substantially toward said abrading means for imparting thrust and lifting forces thereto, a pair of tor-' sion handles on said motor housing and extending substantially normally to a part thereof for resisting torque movements of said device in its application to work, and strap means connecting the ends of said torsion handles.

' 3. A surface conditioning device, comprising in, combination, a motor, a shaft part of said motor, motor housing means substantially enclosing said motor against the admission of abrasive material thereinto, an abrasion means driven by said motor and an exposed working portion thereof having an axis disposed substantially in inclined relation with said motor shaft and said abrasion means providing the sole work applied support for said device, an abrading means housing attached at one end to said motor housing and inclined with respect thereto a pairof torsion handles on opposite sides of and projecting substantially radially away from said motor and by the manipulation of which the resultant forces of the application of said abrasive means to the work may be increasingly opposed by moving the hand on said handle radially away from said motor, and a device supporting means connecting the ends of said torsion handles.

4. An abrasion machine, comprising in combination, a motor, a motor protecting housing substantially enclosing said motor against the admission of abraded material thereinto, an abrasion means driven by said motor and having an exposed working portion providing substantially the sole support for all of the force that is ap-.

plied to said motor during the application of other handle carried by and extending substantially longitudinally of said motor housing.

5. A machine, comprising in combination, a motor, a housing in which said motor is mounted, a pair of satchel handles on said motor housing, a pair of torsion handles extending substantially away from a part of the surface of said motor housing and spaced from said satchel handles, a strap means connecting substantially the ends of the torsion handles and adapted for extending over the operator's shoulder, and an abrasion means driven by said motor.

6. A machine, comprising in combination, a motor, a housing disposed outwardly of saidmotor, a pair of satchel handles {on said motor housing and extending substantially parallel to the axis of said motor so that the motor may be tilted axially by the tilting of said handles, a pair of torsion handles secured at their radially inner ends to said motor housing and extending substantially normally to the axis of said motor so that a moment arm of a desired ,length is provided for resisting torsional forces that result from the operation of said machine, a shoulder strap having its ends connected to said torsion handles, and an abrasion means operated by said motor.

.7. An abrading device, comprising in combination, an abrasion means, a shaft operating said abrasion means, a. spider in which said shaft is journalled and thru which dust bearing air may pass, a plate spaced from said spider and in which said shaft is journalled, an air propelling means on said shaft between said spider and said plate, a motor driving said shaft, a housing enclosing said motor, a pair of substantially aligned torque handles on opposite sides of said housing, and a shoulder strap attached at its opposite ends to said torque handles.

8. A machine, comprising in combination, a motor, a housing in which said motor is disposed, a motor shaft, a bevel gear on said motor shaft, an abrasion means shaft axially inclined to said motor shaft at an advantageous working angle with respect thereto for the use of said machine against a substantially vertical surface by the leaning of an operator against said machine and toward said surface, an abrasion means on said abrasion means shaft, a bevel gear on said abrasion means shaft for engaging said motor shaft gear so that said abrasion means shaft may be driven by said motor shaft, a vacuum housing secured to said motor housing, an abrasion means shaft joumalling plate in said vacuum housing and between which and said motor housing said motor shaft gear and 0 substantially in said vacuum housing, an air propelling means adapted for drawing dust laden air from said abrasion means and thru. said spider into said vacuum housing, a torque handle on each side of said motor housing and extending outwardly therefrom foropposing lateral thrust during the application of said machine to work, and a shoulder strap having its ends attached to the ends of said torque handles.

9. A mechanism, comprising incombination, a motor, a housing substantially enclosing said motor, a motor shaft having a part projecting from said motor housing, a bevel gear on said motor shaft exposed part, an abrasion means housing substantially firmly mounted on said motor housing, an abrasion means extending well away from said abrasion means housing and providing the sole contact of said mechanism with the work and supporting the total working pressure by which said abrasion means is applied to the work, an abrasion means shaft inclined with respect to said motor shaft and on which said abrasion means is mounted, abrasion means shaft joumalling means firmly mounted in said abrasion means housing, an abrasion means shaft bevel gear engaging said motor shaft gear for driving said abrasion means, a pair of torque handles extending laterally from said motor housing for opposing lateral thrust, and a supporting shoulder strap having its ends attached to said torque handles,

10. An abrading device, comprising in combination, a motor enclosed in a housing, a pair of straight torque handles extending away from diametrically opposite sides of said motor housing for adjustably positioning the hands in opposing lateral thrust during the application of said device to work, a device supporting shoulder strap connecting the ends of said torque handles, a dust entrapping housing extending away from said motor housing and open at its remote end, an abrasion means adjacent the open end of said dust entrapping housing, a shaft extending along substantially the axial center of said dust entrapping housing and on which said abrasion means is mounted, a spider adjacent said abrasion means and firmly mounted in said dust entrapping housing and centrally of which said abrasion means shaft is journalled, an impervious plate spaced from said spider and firmly mounted in said dust entrapping housing and centrally of which said abrasion means shaft is journalled, an air propelling means on said abrasion means shaft between said spider and said plate and for drawing airthru said spider, a dust laden air conducting means opening out of said dust entrapping housing, and power transmitting means between said motor and said abrasion means shaft and protected from dust laden air by said plate and said dust entrapping housing extended.

11. A surface conditioning device, comprising in combination, a motor, a housing substantially enclosing said motor, a pair of satchel handles on lateral sides of and extending axially of said motor housing, a pair of torsion handles on lateral sides of and extending away from said motor housing, strap means connecting the ends of said torsion handles, a motor shaft, a surface conditioning means, and a driven shaft on which said surface conditioning means is mounted and axially inclined with respect to said motor shaft.

12. A surface conditioning device, comprising in combination, a motor having a shaft, a housing substantially enclosing said motor, a pair of torsion handles mounted on opposite sides of said motor housing and extending substantially normally to a part of the surface thereof for resisting torque movements of said machine in its operation and use, shoulder engaging means for supporting the weight of said device and attached to the ends of said torsion handles, an abrading means shaft that is inclined with re spect to said motor shaft at an angle that permits the advantageous application of said device to a vertical surface, power transmitting means mechanically connecting said motor shaft with said abrading means shaft for conducting power therebetween, an abrading means mounted on said abrading means shaft and having an exposed portion capabie of delivering to the work substantially the full pressure that the operator applies to said handles, an abrading means housing firmly joined to said motor housing and interposed between the operator and said abrading means for arresting particles thrown by said abrading means toward said operator, and air propelling means within said abrading means housing for drawing air from about said abrading means.

13. A power operated hand device, comprising in combination, a motor, a housing substantially enclosing said motor, a pair of satchel handles on said motor housing and extending substantially parallel to.a part of the surface thereof, a torsion handle mounted on said motor housing and extending substantially normally to a part of the surface thereof for being gripped with the other hand for resisting rotary and torque movements of the device in its operation and use, and a device supporting means connecting the ends of said torsion handles.

14. A surface conditioning device, comprising in combination, a pair of substantially coaxial torque handles extending away from said device from either side thereof, a carrying eye at the unattached end of each of said torsion handles, and a shoulder strap having its opposite ends attached to said carrying eyes.

15. A surface conditioning device, comprising in combination, a pair of substantially coaxial torque handles extending away from said device from either side thereof, a carrying eye at the unattached end of each of said torsion handles, a shoulder strap having its opposite ends attached to said carrying eyes, and a pair of satchel handles extending along said device in a plane that is substantially at right angles to the common axis of said torque handles.

16. A surface conditioning device, comprising in combination, a motor having a shaft, a motor housing substantially enclosing said motor, an abrading means, a pair of torsion handles disposed on opposite sides of said motor housing and extending radially outwardly thereof for assisting in the manipulation of said abrading means, a shoulder strap having its ends connected to said torsion handles, an abrading means shaft that is axially inclined with respect to said motor shaft and that operates said abrading means, power transmitting means conducting power between said motor shaft and said abrading means shaft, a housing interposed between said abrading means and said motor housing, a fan within said last mentioned housing for drawing air substantially away from said abrading means into said last mentioned housing, and means conducting said air thru said motor housing and discharging it outwardly thereof.

ARTHUR G. SNH'I'H. 

